Media Theories

How has gender representation in music videos changed to suite a more contemporary and critical audience?

Media theories I will be using 

Male gaze

Laura Mulvey Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975)

“In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness”

The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance. The theory suggests woman can more often than not only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a man’s perspective.

Female gaze

It is the opposite of the male gaze theory. This time the mean are being looked at from a female’s perspective as objects.

Gender theory

How the media represents gender?

Effects theory

What effect the media has on its audiences?

Uses and Gratifications

What audiences use the media for?

Surveillance – the need to know what is going on in the world.  By keeping up to date with news about local and international events we feel we have the knowledge to avoid or deal with dangers.

Personal relationships – the need to interact with other people. This is provided by forming virtual relationships with characters in soaps, films and all kinds of drama, and other programmes and other media texts.

Personal identity – the need to define our identity and sense of self. Part of our sense of self is informed by making judgments about all sorts of people and things. Such as judgments people make about TV and film characters. The choice of music, the shows we watch, the celebrities people like can be an expression of their identities. One aspect of this type of gratification is known as value reinforcement. This is where we choose television programmes or newspapers that have similar beliefs to those we hold.

Diversion – the need for escape, entertainment and relaxation. All types of television programmes can be used to offer a diversion from daily life as well as satisfying some of the other needs at the same time.

Subculture – Representation of Groups – Dick Hebdidge

In his book, Subculture and The Meaning of Style, Dick Hebdidge said that a subculture is a group of like minded individuals who feel neglected by societal standards and who develop a sense of identity which differs to the dominant on to which they belong.

Ken Gelder lists 6 ways in which a subculture can be recognised:
1) Often have negative relationship to work
2) Negative or ambivalent relationship to class
3) Through their associations with territory ( The street, the hood, the club) rather than property
4) Through their stylistic ties to excess
5) Through their movement out of home into non-domestic forms of belonging (social groups as opposed to family)
6) Through their refusal to engage with they might see as the ‘banalities’ of life.

Other ways of recognising a subculture might be symbolism attached to clothes, music, visual affectations like tattoos etc.

I will also look at the language used in the videos and semiotics. Semiotics is the study of signs.